Stabilizing apparatus for securing anchor bolts

ABSTRACT

A stabilizing apparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a final position before a concrete pour includes a stabilizer and a wrench. The stabilizer has a leg and a base. The leg has an elongate planar member which, in turn has a first leg distal end and a second leg distal end. The base is comprised of an elongate tube. The elongate tube is comprised of a first tube distal end and a second tube distal end, a top half and a bottom half. 
     The first leg distal end is affixed to the bottom half of the base. The wrench is comprised of a wrench member and a wrench orifice. The wrench member is an elongate tube with a first wrench distal end and a second wrench distal end. The wrench orifice is disposed at the second wrench distal end. The first wrench distal end is sized to fit into the elongate tube of the base.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates with the construction industry and moreparticularly pertains to a system and apparatus for the purpose ofsecuring anchor bolts and rebar.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the main concerns with respect to the construction of any home,building, or other man-made structure is the foundation upon which it isbuilt. The relative strength or structural integrity of the foundationof a structure is acutely problematic in earthquake-prone areas. Poorlyfashioned foundations can result in collapsed structures, lost propertydamage, injuries and even death. World-renowned cosmopolitan cities suchas San Francisco have seen first-hand the devastating consequences ofpoorly built foundations.

Three of the cornerstones of any structural foundations is the anchorbolt, rebar, and concrete. One of the principal materials used in anyconstruction project is concrete. Concrete is cost effective, moldableto virtually any shape desirable, scaleable, and simple to use andimplement. Moreover, its intrinsic compressive strength is virtuallyunmatched.

However, whereas concrete can be compressed with great force, itstensile strength is only negligible by comparison. For this reasonconcrete must be compositely strengthened with steel reinforcing bars(or “rebar”) to resist tensile forces. The use of rebar acts as aninternal skeleton by which the concrete can congeal around and bondwith. Whereas anchor bolts are generally used to affix vertical wallswith concrete slabs or foundations, or to affix horizontal framing tovertical concrete or masonry walls; rebar is generally used to connectconcrete slabs, walls or foundations with other concrete elements.

The importance of anchor bolts may be most readily illustrated in anearthquake. In the event of an earthquake the vertical walls of astructure resisting the forces are swayed horizontally in-plane. Thismovement, in turn, creates great tension between the interface of theends of the walls with the concrete. Without the anchor bolts the wallwould quickly detach from the concrete slab and may potentially resultin the collapse of the structure.

For these reasons, many building codes specify that anchor bolts must bepositioned in its final place before pouring concrete. This leads toincreased strength in the foundation. If anchor bolts are placed orpositioned in the concrete after a pour, the strength of the resultingfoundation is lessened quite considerably.

Unfortunately, in operation, the placement of anchor bolts before a pourof concrete is difficult and cumbersome. Strong winds, movement of heavyequipment, construction workers, etc. all risk moving or displacinganchor bolts which are tenuously disposed in their respective positions.Most often, these anchor bolts are positioned using flimsy tools whichare bound to become undone by the forces mentioned above. And inparticularly egregious cases, anchor bolts are placed into the concreteafter the pour despite the contravention of the applicable buildingcodes.

Therefore, what is clearly needed in the art is a system and apparatusto be used for securing anchor bolts in its final resting positionbefore a concrete pour.

This placement should be secure and should be robust enough to withstandstrong winds, etc. Moreover, the system should also provide a means tofurther buttress a structure by tying in its anchor bolts to the nearbyrebar.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to increase the foundationalstrength of a construction project by securing anchor bolts in its finalresting position before a concrete pour. By reinforcing the slab orfooting through its anchor bolts and rebar network the foundation maybecome tolerant of strong earthquakes.

Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to further reinforcethe foundation by tying the anchor bars to the nearby rebar network.This reinforced foundation may prevent the anchor bolts from beingpulled out of a slab in the event of a very strong earthquake.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a uniquesystem and apparatus are used to stabilize an anchor bolt in a finalposition before a concrete pour. The present invention is described inenabling detail below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Astabilizing apparatus 100 for securing an anchor bolt in a finalposition before a concrete pour includes a stabilizer 101 and a wrench102. The stabilizer has a leg 103 and a base 104. The leg is an elongateplanar member 105 which, in turn has a first leg distal end 106 and asecond leg distal end 107. In some preferred embodiments the leg mayfurther incorporate at least one leg orifice 131 for the purpose ofallowing a nail or other fastener secure it to a form board, batterboard, or the like. The base 104 is comprised of an elongate tube 108.The elongate tube is comprised of a first tube distal end 109 and asecond tube distal end 110, a top half 111 and a bottom half 112. Thefirst leg distal end is affixed to the bottom half of the base. In somepreferred embodiments the base may further comprise a base orifice 128and a fastener 129. The fastener is sized to fit into the base orifice.In some preferred embodiments this fastener may be either a screw or athumb screw.

It should be noted here that the wrench is adjustable in its length. Asillustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the wrench may be extended to severaldifferent lengths or distances to accommodate a plurality of distancesor positions in which the anchor bolt is to be placed or secured.

The wrench is comprised of a wrench member 113 and a wrench orifice 114.The wrench member is an elongate tube 115 with a first wrench distal end116 and a second wrench distal end 117. In some preferred embodimentsthe elongate tube may also include at least one blaze mark 127. Thepurpose of the blaze mark is to indicate a particular distance.Oftentimes, the anchor bolts are secured away from a form atpre-determined distances. These blaze marks indicate thesepre-determined distances in order to make the particular length of thewrench easier to find without having to measure it. And in otherpreferred embodiments the elongate tube may further incorporate otherindicia 130 such as trademarks, instructions, warnings, specifications,building codes, laws, and the like. The possibilities are endless. Thewrench orifice is disposed at the second wrench distal end. The firstwrench distal end is sized to fit into the elongate tube of the base.

In some preferred embodiments the present stabilizing apparatus 100 mayfurther include a cradle 118 as shown in FIG. 10. The cradle comprisesan elongate planar member 119 and at least one orifice 120. The elongateplanar member has a first cradle distal end 121 and a second cradledistal end 122. In some preferred embodiments the elongate planar memberis bent at the second cradle distal end. And in some preferredembodiments the second distal end is prong-shaped in order to securerebar. In addition, in some preferred embodiments the cradle may furtherinclude cradle orifices 123. The first orifice is disposed at the firstcradle distal end. The second orifice is elongated to receive eitherrebar or an anchor bolt

In some preferred embodiments the stabilizing apparatus may optionallyinclude an anchor bolt 124. The anchor bolt has a first anchor boltdistal end 125 and a second anchor bolt distal end 126. The anchor boltis secured by the wrench orifice at the first anchor bolt distal end.The cradle mentioned above may be disposed around the anchor boltthrough its orifices.

FIG. 11 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the presentinvention used in applications where a column or light pole is to beconstructed or erected. A system 200 for securing a plurality of anchorbolts in a final position before a concrete pour for a column base orlight pole includes a plurality of base forms 201 and a plurality ofbridges 202.

The base forms are comprised of an R-member 203 and a receiver 204. TheR-member is an elongate member with a first R-distal end 205 and asecond R-distal end 206. The first R-distal end is curved and abuts thereceiver. The receiver has a first receiver distal end 207 and a secondreceiver distal end 208, a top side 209 and a bottom side 210. In somepreferred embodiments the R-member may further incorporate an R-orifice216. The R-orifice may enable the R-member to be affixed or secured tobatter board or form board by allowing a fastener such as a nail orscrew to pass through it.

The base forms are connected to each other with the bridges. The bridgescomprise a first bridge distal end 211 and a second bridge distal end212. Each distal end is affixed to the receiver of each base form. Insome preferred embodiments the bridge may further incorporate bridgeorifice 216.

In some preferred embodiments the system 200 may further incorporate athumb screw 213 and a complementary receiver orifice 214. The thumbscrew is sized to fit into the receiver orifice. In other preferredembodiments the system 200 may also include bridge indicia 215. Thefunction of the bridge indicia is to indicate pre-determined lengths ofthe bridges in order to determine where the anchor bolts are to bedisposed or positioned. And in some other preferred embodiments, thebridges may further include a plurality of bridge orifices which enablea user several different options of where to dispose an anchor bolt, oralternatively to secure several anchor bolts with the same bridge.

FIG. 12 illustrates a preferred embodiment where the system 200 furtherincludes a rebar stabilizer 217. The rebar stabilizer comprising a firstrebar end 218 and a second rebar end 219. In some preferred embodimentsthe second rebar end is prong shaped. And in other preferred embodimentsthe rebar stabilizer 217 may further include at least one rebar orifice218 for the purpose of securing or stabilizing the rebar.

It must be noted here that although the anchor bolt is mentioned here asbeing part of the present invention, the scope of the present inventionshould not be construed to include or utilize an anchor bolt in allpreferred embodiments. The present invention was designed to be used ina fashion to supplement the anchor bolt. However, other preferredembodiments may optionally include the anchor bolt as part of theclaimed invention.

It will be apparent to the skilled artisan that there are numerouschanges that may be made in embodiments described herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. As such, theinvention taught herein by specific examples is limited only by thescope of the claims that follow.

1. A stabilizing apparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a finalposition before a concrete pour comprising: a stabilizer and a wrench;the stabilizer comprises a leg and a base; the leg is comprised of anelongate planar member having a first leg distal end and a second legdistal end; the base is comprised of an elongate tube; the elongate tubeis comprised of a first tube distal end and a second tube distal end, atop half and a bottom half; the first leg distal end is affixed to thebottom half of the base; the wrench is comprised of a wrench member anda wrench orifice; the wrench member is an elongate tube with a firstwrench distal End and a second wrench distal end; the wrench orifice isdisposed at the second wrench distal end; the first wrench distal end issized to fit into the elongate tube of the base.
 2. The stabilizingapparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a final position before aconcrete pour of claim 1 further comprising a cradle; the cradlecomprises an elongate planar member and at least one orifice; theelongate planar member having a first cradle distal end and a secondcradle distal end.
 3. The stabilizing apparatus for securing an anchorbolt in a final position before a concrete pour of claim 2 wherein thecradle comprises a bent elongate planar member.
 4. The stabilizingapparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a final position before aconcrete pour of claim 3 wherein the second distal end of the cradle isshaped in a prong configuration.
 5. The stabilizing apparatus forsecuring an anchor bolt in a final position before a concrete pour ofclaim 4 wherein the cradle comprises at least two cradle orifices; thefirst orifice is disposed at the first cradle distal end; the secondorifice is elongated to receive either rebar or an anchor bolt.
 6. Thestabilizing apparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a final positionbefore a concrete pour of claim 1 further comprising an anchor bolt; theanchor bolt has a first anchor bolt distal end and a second anchor boltdistal end; the anchor bolt is secured by the wrench orifice at thefirst anchor bolt distal end.
 7. The stabilizing apparatus for securingan anchor bolt in a final position before a concrete pour of claim 5wherein the orifice of the cradle is disposed around the anchor bolt. 8.The stabilizing apparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a finalposition before a concrete pour of claim 1 wherein the elongate tubefurther comprises a blaze mark.
 9. The stabilizing apparatus forsecuring an anchor bolt in a final position before a concrete pour ofclaim 1 further comprising at least one base orifice and a fastener; thefastener is sized to fit into the base orifice.
 10. The stabilizingapparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a final position before aconcrete pour of claim 9 wherein the fastener is a screw.
 11. Thestabilizing apparatus for securing an anchor bolt in a final positionbefore a concrete pour of claim 1 further comprising indicia; theindicia is disposed on the elongate tube.
 12. The stabilizing apparatusfor securing an anchor bolt in a final position before a concrete pourof claim 1 further comprising at least one leg orifice.
 13. A system forsecuring a plurality of anchor bolts in a final position before aconcrete pour for a column base or light pole comprising: a plurality ofbase forms and a plurality of bridges; the base forms are comprised ofan R-member and a receiver; the R-member is an elongate member with afirst R-distal end and a second R-distal end; the first R-distal end iscurved and abuts the receiver; the receiver has a first receiver distalend and a second receiver distal end, a top side and a bottom side; thebase forms are connected to each other with the bridges; the bridgescomprise a first bridge distal end and a second bridge distal end; eachdistal end is affixed to the receiver of each base form.
 14. The systemfor securing a plurality of anchor bolts in a final position before aconcrete pour for a column base or light pole of claim 13 furthercomprising a thumb screw and a complementary receiver orifice; the thumbscrew is sized to fit into the receiver orifice.
 15. The system forsecuring a plurality of anchor bolts in a final position before aconcrete pour for a column base or light pole of claim 14 furthercomprising bridge indicia.
 16. The system for securing a plurality ofanchor bolts in a final position before a concrete pour for a columnbase or light pole of claim 13 wherein the bridge further comprises abridge orifice.
 17. The system for securing a plurality of anchor boltsin a final position before a concrete pour for a column base or lightpole of claim 13 wherein the R-member further comprises at least oneR-orifice.
 18. The system for securing a plurality of anchor bolts in afinal position before a concrete pour for a column base or light pole ofclaim 13 further comprising a rebar stabilizer; the rebar stabilizercomprising a first rebar end and a second rebar end.
 19. The system forsecuring a plurality of anchor bolts in a final position before aconcrete pour for a column base or light pole of claim 18 wherein thesecond rebar end is prong shaped.
 20. The system for securing aplurality of anchor bolts in a final position before a concrete pour fora column base or light pole of claim 18 further comprising at least onerebar orifice.